Everyone says "Chew gum! It helps!" Perhaps it helps for them, but I vigorously chewed up an entire pack of gum during the plane's descent, and it didn't do a damn thing. The pain always has me on the verge of tears, and everyone wonders why I have such a problem.

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One way to get over it is to try swallowing (or chewing gum, as has been suggested) as this tends to help open up the eustachian tube connecting the back of the mouth with the middle ear, helping to equalise pressure.

A better way is to do the Valsalva's maneuver as this forces air to open up the eustachian tube more reliably than moving your jaw in swallowing.